Named LNWR "Prince of Wales" Class locomotives

Throughout its existence the London and North Western Railway re-used the numbers and names of withdrawn locomotives on new ones as they came out of Crewe Works. This resulted in each class of locomotives being allotted numbers virtually at random, with names that adhered to no discernible theme. By 1911 new locomotives were being produced at a much faster rate than old ones were being scrapped, and it became necessary to introduce a new set of names for Bowen Cooke’s 4-6-0 express engines which were beginning to enter service.

On 13 July 1911 Prince Edward, the future King Edward VIII, was invested as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle. The investiture gave the LNWR an opportunity to name the first of the locomotives (and the class) in honour of the new Prince. A further nine engines were built during 1911 and given names associated with ships of the Royal Navy, in keeping with the patriotic sentiments of the time.

The second batch of 30 locomotives of 1913 and early 1914 commemorated British, European and American poets and novelists of the 18th and 19th centuries. The final engine of the batch was named G.P. Neele in honour of the former LNWR Superintendent of the Line, who had retired in 1895.

The ten engines produced in 1915 were given the names of the leaders of Britain’s allies in the Great War, and the names of two soldiers, a sailor, and a nurse who had been executed by the Germans. By the beginning of 1916 sufficient engines had been scrapped to enable the re-use of historical LNWR names. However in March and April of that year three locomotives were named in remembrance of the ill-fated campaign in the Dardanelles, and seven were named to commemorate maritime losses of 1915 and 1916.

The next batch of locomotives entered service in January 1919, by which time a decision had been taken not to allocate names until matters had returned to normal after the war. It was not until 1922 that another twelve engines were given names taken from former LNWR engines.

During 1921 and 1922 a further 90 locomotives of the class were built by William Beardmore and Company at Dalmuir. These remained nameless.

Following the absorption of the LNWR into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, the LMS Rolling Stock Committee at Derby issued Minute no. 53 on 31 May 1923 which announced that in conformity with former Midland Railway practices

“Passenger engines and coaching stock to be painted in old Midland crimson lake, goods engines to be black without lining – new engines not to be named but those with names will continue to do so.”

One of the last locomotives to be named at Crewe was No. 5753 Premier, a clear reference to the LNWR slogan of being “the Premier Line”, and a final and defiant gesture aimed at the new management in Derby.

The LMS renumbered all of the Prince of Wales in a block from 5600 to 5844, but not in exactly the same order that the locomotives had been built. A final locomotive was built by Beardmore in February 1924, which was displayed at the British Empire Exhibition that year; the LMS bought it in November 1924, and numbered it 5845.

LNWR Number Maker Works
No.		 Name Entered Service LMS Number Date
withdrawn		 Notes
819 Crewe 5030 Prince of Wales October 1911 5600 October 1933
1388 Crewe 5031 Andromeda October 1911 5601 March 1935
1452 Crewe 5032 Bonaventure October 1911 5602 June 1937
1454 Crewe 5033 Coquette November 1911 5603 January 1935
1537 Crewe 5034 Enchantress November 1911 5604 October 1934
1691 Crewe 5035 Pathfinder November 1911 5605 November 1934
1704 Crewe 5036 Conqueror November 1911 5606 October 1933
1721 Crewe 5037 Defiance November 1911 5607 December 1934
2021 Crewe 5038 Wolverine December 1911 5608 February 1935
2359 Crewe 5039 Hermione December 1911 5609 October 1933
362 Crewe 5167 Robert Southey October 1913 5610 October 1933
892 Crewe 5168 Charles Wolfe October 1913 5611 June 1935
1081 Crewe 5169 John Keats October 1913 5612 January 1936
1089 Crewe 5170 Sydney Smith October 1913 5613 February 1935
1134 Crewe 5171 Victor Hugo October 1913 5614 December 1934
2040 Crewe 5172 Oliver Goldsmith November 1913 5615 March 1935
2075 Crewe 5173 Robert Burns November 1913 5616 November 1934
2198 Crewe 5174 John Ruskin November 1913 5620 March 1936
2205 Crewe 5175 Thomas Moore November 1913 5621 August 1934
2213 Crewe 5176 Charles Kingsley November 1913 5622 October 1933
321 Crewe 5177 Henry W. Longfellow November 1913 5617 January 1935
479 Crewe 5178 Thomas B. Macaulay December 1913 5618 February 1935
951 Crewe 5179 Bulwer Lytton December 1913 5619 August 1934
1679 Crewe 5180 Lord Byron December 1913 5623 May 1935
2249 Crewe 5181 Thomas Campbell December 1913 5624 March 1937
2283 Crewe 5182 Robert L. Stevenson December 1913 5625 December 1936
307 Crewe 5183 R. B. Sheridan December 1913 5628 November 1934
637 Crewe 5184 Thomas Gray December 1913 5629 December 1934
979 Crewe 5185 W. M. Thackeray January 1914 5630 September 1934
1400 Crewe 5186 Felicia Hemans January 1914 5631 June 1936
86 Crewe 5187 Mark Twain January 1914 5626 May 1936
146 Crewe 5188 Lewis Carroll January 1914 5627 July 1936
964 Crewe 5189 Bret Harte February 1914 5632 September 1933
985 Crewe 5190 Sir W. S. Gilbert February 1914 5633 August 1935
1321 Crewe 5191 William Cowper February 1914 5634 September 1934
2152 Crewe 5192 Charles Lamb February 1914 5635 March 1934
2293 Crewe 5193 Percy Bysshe Shelley February 1914 5636 January 1935
2377 Crewe 5194 Edward Gibbon February 1914 5637 December 1936
2443 Crewe 5195 Charles James Lever March 1914 5638 April 1936
2520 Crewe 5196 G. P. Neele March 1914 5639 October 1933
136 NBL 21256 Minerva October 1915 5663 January 1935
173 NBL 21257 Livingstone October 1915 5664 February 1935
257 NBL 21258 Plynlimmon November 1915 5666 September 1934
446 NBL 21259 Pegasus November 1915 5668 August 1935
1749 NBL 21260 Precedent November 1915 5677 January 1935
2063 NBL 21261 Hibernia November 1915 5679 May 1935
2175 NBL 21262 Loadstone November 1915 5680 June 1937
2203 NBL 21263 Falstaff November 1915 5681 June 1935
2300 NBL 21264 Hotspur December 1915 5687 September 1934
2392 NBL 23265 Caliban December 1915 5689 September 1936
90 NBL 21266 Kestrel December 1915 5660 August 1936
401 NBL 21267 Zamiel December 1915 5667 November 1934
525 NBL 21268 Vulcan December 1915 5669 April 1937
610 NBL 21269 Albion December 1915 5670 October 1935
867 NBL 21270 Condor January 1916 5672 December 1936 Name removed, July 1933
1132 NBL 21271 Scott January 1916 5674 February 1946
1466 NBL 21272 Sphinx January 1916 5675 August 1936
1744 NBL 21273 Petrel January 1916 5676 April 1935
2055 NBL 21274 Milton January 1916 5678 April 1935
2339 NBL 21275 Samson January 1916 5682 April 1935 Name removed, July 1933
27 Crewe 5297 General Joffre October 1915 5640 February 1937
88 Crewe 5298 Czar of Russia October 1915 5641 September 1936
122 Crewe 5299 King of the Belgians November 1915 5642 March 1936
160 Crewe 5300 King of Serbia November 1915 5643 October 1934
185 Crewe 5301 King of Italy November 1915 5644 March 1936
877 Crewe 5302 Raymond Poincaré November 1915 5645 June 1936
1333 Crewe 5303 Sir John French November 1915 5646 December 1934
2275 Crewe 5304 Edith Cavell November 1915 5647 January 1935
2396 Crewe 5305 Queen of the Belgians December 1915 5648 October 1948
2408 Crewe 5306 Admiral Jellicoe December 1915 5649 October 1933
606 Crewe 5307 Castor January 1916 5650 April 1936
745 Crewe 5308 Pluto January 1916 5651 July 1934
352 Crewe 5309 The Nile January 1916 5653 October 1935
379 Crewe 5310 Witch January 1916 5654 March 1935
484 Crewe 5311 Smeaton January 1916 5655 December 1934
810 Crewe 5312 Onyx January 1916 5652 September 1933
884 Crewe 5313 Shark January 1916 5656 August 1938
346 Crewe 5314 Trent January 1916 5657 April 1936
417 Crewe 5315 Atlas January 1916 5658 October 1935 Name removed, July 1933
442 Crewe 5316 Odin February 1916 5659 March 1935
95 Crewe 5317 Gallipoli March 1916 5661 February 1935
126 Crewe 5318 Anzac March 1916 5662 August 1936
233 Crewe 5319 Suvla Bay March 1916 5665 April 1936
849 Crewe 5320 Arethusa March 1916 5671 December 1936 Name removed, September 1936
1100 Crewe 5321 Lusitania March 1916 5673 January 1949
1324 Crewe 5322 Falaba April 1916 5683 January 1946
2092 Crewe 5323 Arabic April 1916 5684 March 1936
2276 Crewe 5234 Persia April 1916 5685 August 1936
2295 Crewe 5325 Anglia April 1916 5686 November 1934
2340 Crewe 5326 Tara April 1916 5688 September 1933
940 Crewe 5444 Richard Cobden January 1919 5697 July 1936 Named in 1922
621 Crewe 5447 Telford February 1919 5700 March 1936 Named in 1922
1584 Crewe 5451 Scotia March 1919 5704 September 1936 Named in 1922
504 Crewe 5453 Canning March 1919 5706 December 1936 Named in 1922
974 Crewe 5454 Hampden March 1919 5707 April 1935 Named in 1922
522 Crewe 5470 Stentor June 1919 5723 January 1936 Named in 1922
1290 Crewe 5475 Lucknow July 1919 5729 February 1935 Named in 1922
1325 Crewe 5483 Disraeli August 1919 5736 June 1935 Named in 1922
1178 Crewe 5489 Prince Albert September 1919 5743 September 1934 Named in 1922
1542 Crewe 5597 Marathon November 1919 5750 March 1936 Named in 1922
1694 Crewe 5500 Premier November 1919 5753 February 1936 Named in 1922
2516 Crewe 5501 Dalton November 1919 5754 May 1935 Named in 1922

References

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